Shaquill ‘sometimes we take opponents lightly’ Griffin
“We came in taking the team lightly, just being totally honest. In this league, you can lose to anybody if you don’t play right. I feel like we took that game lightly, and our focus point now is just refocusing – treating every team the same, like a championship game that we preach about. We’ve just got to live by it.”
— Shaquill Griffin, speaking on Thursday
So much for ‘always compete’.
Perhaps Shaquill Griffin was trying to avoid a clichéd, nondescript answer? It wouldn’t be the first time an athlete tried a little too hard to take responsibility for an embarrassing loss.
Even so, that answer above was difficult to digest and it seriously calls into question the mentality of the team.
Pete Carroll’s whole philosophy is based on competition. When a player comes out after a crushing, unexpected defeat and says they ‘took their opponents lightly’ — that is the opposite of a competitors mindset.
It’s even worse when you consider what was at stake.
With five games to go and with the NFC West and #1 seed in the NFC still very much in their sights, Griffin claims the Seahawks weren’t particularly prepared for the Giants.
It’ll be fine — it’s just Colt McCoy.
They’re 4-7.
They play in the NFC Least.
And guess what? The Giants came into Seattle and punched the Seahawks in the mouth. They were the superior team — even without their quarterback or Saquon Barkley. They had a game-plan that made sense, they executed better and they were more physical.
They wanted it more.
Now the #1 seed looks like a pipe dream. The Seahawks are relegated to second place in the NFC West. They’ve wasted a 5-0 start by going 3-4 in the following seven games. Unless they avoid dropping to 1-6 against the Rams in week 16, they’ll be staring at a record of one NFC West title in six years. Six years.
The worst thing is — Griffin’s words match what we saw on the field.
After the 24-0 loss to Pittsburgh in 2011, Carroll vowed never to let a team bully the Seahawks again. They set about creating a team in the mould of the Steelers and Ravens. Physicality, punishing hits and a combination of great running and a brilliant defense were to be the catalyst for a change in Seattle’s fortunes.
They emphatically achieved it.
Yet by the end of the 2015 season, John Schneider was speaking of the need to re-create the bully. They wanted to be the tone-setter once more, after a year in which they failed to intimidate opponents.
Five years on, they’re still not the bully. Not even close.
They don’t punch anyone in the mouth. They don’t seem to leave any opponent reeling. Rebuilding teams such as the Giants come to Seattle and get after them.
And now we have a supposed key starter explaining away a hugely disappointing loss as ‘taking a team lightly’ when the season was on the line.
If ever there was a statement to undermine everything Carroll strives for — this is it.
Sure, the occasional tough run by Chris Carson or a D.K. Metcalf stiff-arm might make you think this is still a tough team. But they aren’t. They are finesse. Now we know they can, occasionally, look beyond an opponent too.
10 years into the Carroll era and three-years into the reset, isn’t this just the most disappointing quote you’ve seen in a long time?
And what exactly does it say about the future direction of this team?
They aren’t going to prove anything against the Jets. No amount of flexing will make a win against the NFL’s worst team feel like a comeback.
The Seahawks have three games — Washington, LA and San Francisco — to prove themselves. I think they have to now. Otherwise they deserve the criticism that will follow.
It wasn’t the only maddening quote this week.
Brian Schottenheimer also confessed he wishes the Seahawks had adjusted more quickly against the Giants and taken more of what they were given underneath.
These thoughts were more or less echoed by Carroll and Russell Wilson.
Are we living in bizarro world?
The offense scored three points in the first half. Three.
You don’t need years of coaching experience or a lengthy playing career to see what they were doing on offense wasn’t working.
Yet they kept going — again and again. They constantly looked for the big shot downfield. Wilson kept holding onto the ball and subsequently getting hit. The Giants mastered their coverage with two deep safety’s (something that has been an issue for multiple weeks already) and the end result was a shambles.
The absolute minimum they needed to do was adjust. They shouldn’t be speaking about adjusting quicker. Making the wrong adjustment? Anyone can live with that.
Not adjusting quickly enough — or at all? That’s unacceptable.
Championship caliber teams don’t fail to adjust and they don’t take opponents lightly.
It’s as simple as that.
You can now support Seahawks Draft Blog via Patreon by clicking the tab below.
Unfortunately as has been mentioned by you and others there is no accountability above Carroll. Way too much “do as I say not as I do” going on with Carroll and Schneider,
Bit off the above topic – but had an interesting experience last night and this is the place I talk football these days – so hopefully of some interest.
Through a work thing, I got to attend the Rams/Pats game in person last night. First thing to note – the new stadium is a marvel – I sort of love the sheer architectural feat of these giant structures, so I’m probably partial to it – but it’s very cool. The showstopper being the replay screen which runs the entire circumference of the stadium – and, it’s two-sided, meaning the screen can be viewed from the front (by the fans sitting lower down), or the back (by fans in upper decks).
Watching a game w literally no fans was pretty surreal. There is no piped in crowd noise, so I guess that’s just for the TV feed. Oddly, they still do all the stadium stuff, the music, the announcer, at the same decibel level as normal – as if there were 80,000 people there, and without anyone in the stands, it just seems sort of loud and weird and pointless.
To the game – now I assume if it was the Hawks playing, or maybe if it was a high-flying nailbiter game, I would have been glued to it. But given that it was neither – I don’t know – the lack of fan presence and energy makes an even bigger difference that I’d thought it would. Without fans, and noise, and excitement – the game, I don’t know how to say it better, just felt less important. It was still cool to see an NFL game from a great seat, watching pass patterns and receiver coming open, in person, is totally different that watching on TV. But it was also pretty flat.
Anyway, a unique experience. Thought I’d share.
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
That sounds fantastic pdway. Thanks for passing that on. I went to Santa Clara for the ‘Clowney destroys the Niners’ game last year and was similarly impressed with their new stadium.
Did you get a look at one of the boxes?
I did – i was actually in the rams owner’s box (no rams personnel was there w us) – that’s the only place I was in the stadium -we were told we could roam around the 2nd level, but couldn’t go down. the suites are the best i’ve ever seen, about 30 rows up from the field, and open air to the field, no glass or anything.
saw Kraft in the next one over.
FWIW, don’t know how the Pats routed the chargers the other night, b/c from the start their body language was terrible, just kind of listless/disengaged.
that sounds familiar, listless and disengaged. hope the hawks are in a better mental state when we play the rams
I was there too. Sitting in a middle of all the Niners fans.
I think Griffin is actually speaking the truth there. We want to go to the Superbowl, we want to make history, we want to win MVP, we totally forget how hard it is to win in the NFL. The mentality is not there and I’m afraid it starts at QB (“we got the best in the league” – JS).
It’s nice to see Schotty admit he should have done better, but this doesn’t bring the win back. The trouble is that we don’t seem to have a solid adjustment option – running game with Carson and Hyde has been unreliable, we don’t use tight ends, we don’t have a scheme for 3rd down that will get us short yards. And for some reason, the pre-game does not seem to seek for the opponent’s weaknesses – if we faced LOB tomorrow, RW would still try to go long against Sherman and Kam. This is how Giants beat us, by figuring out a plan that worked against Seattle.
After I read Schotty’s galling interview, where he basically admits the coaching staff has no idea how to game plan, I was reminded of this classic clip:
https://youtu.be/Cgy6Fcz7q0s
It’s a bit savage, but a worthy cheap laugh.
The scary thing is, it wasn’t just the Giants game that was evidence of a lack of ability to adjust.
Ever since the 2nd half of the intial Cardinals game, this offense has mostly struggled.
Other than a couple of nice opening drives, everything has been a grind… for basically half of a season.
It appears to my non-expert eyes, that defenses are playing us differently than they were the first 5 games of the season, and Pete/Shctty/Russ have been unwilling, or unable to adjust.
The Giants game was frustrating, because there were plays to be made in the passing game, and for whatever reason, we stubbornly refused to take what was there.
Gameplan is one thing, but at this point in his career, I have to believe that Russ can ultimately do what he wants on the field.
It is baffling to me why he can’t understand that taking the easy short passes will open up the deep routes as the game goes on.
The most successful QBs (and teams) attack weaknesses and take advantage of them.
Finesse teams cannot “exert their will” on others. They must play smart and adjust when appropriate.
I have to admit, I was envious watching the RAMS last night. Their young, swarming defense is what I want for my Seahawks. I concur with Cha’s article yesterday too. Pet and JS have to take a hard look at the current batch of players and determine which ones would contribute to that young, swarming defensive goal.
My biggest fault with the Griffin comments concerns NFL players elitist attitude that they and only they understand the film (and coaches). Personally, I do not understand the film like some of you here but I do know when a team looks competitive or not (or if they win or lose). Heck, people here were saying not to take the Giants too lightly because even though they had been losing – they had been doing it competitively. I could maybe see Griffin overlooking an NFL team if they had been losing by 20+ virtually every week and were winless, but this is a hell of a lot different.
The film can’t lie about a team playing competitively good football and for a fool like Griffin, on a team that had been 3-3 in its last 6 games. Comparatively, the Giants had been 4-2 in it’s last 6 games! How does the LESSER team for the past month and a half take the BETTER team (based on record) for granted? That comment in and of itself makes me wish he doesn’t come back in ’21. How unbelievably truly stupid can one be?
Wonder what Shaquill thinks of this?
Giants 5-2 since October 18.
Seahawks 3-4 after the strong start.
Who sucks, Shaquill? Who should take who lightly?
I lost the remaining respect I had for Shaquille the moment I heard him say it. I don’t want him back next year. Period.
that’s an overreaction for me. I don’t think he’s a bad egg at all, and i’ve never, not once, noticed him loafing or anything.
the annoyance of course, is that anyone on the Hawks would have the arrogance right now to think we can just show up and win. we’re 8-4, but our margin for victory in most of the wins has been extremely thin.
I respect that, pdway, but it is a culmination of what I’ve seen from Shaq these past few seasons, not just this latest comment. He isn’t Sherm but I get the feeling he thinks he is. It’s one thing to talk the talk, quite another to walk the talk. Sherm walked it, Shaq doesn’t.
Shaquill more or less admitted to taking plays off against Minnesota (I think it ways). It’s legit to question his focus at this point.
I don’t think we should just give up on him, but I think he’s definitely not going to be worth a $15 million APY contract.
You only give guys money like that who are core players. He’s far, far away from being a guy you can build around. Sherm of 5-10 years ago was well worth that kind of money because he could eliminate any given WR. That’s what a lock-down stud CB does. Griffin is decent but scares nobody either.
Personally, if Griffin isn’t hungry to succeed on his rookie contract – how can any GM justify giving him big bucks on his second contact when he’ll be more of a role model for other players? A role model players look up to who doesn’t try all the time. If “Always ComPete” Pete resigns him, then “Always Compete” is a proven joke, too.
I agree .I’ve seen too many plays where he ends up standing around, gets beat 3-4 times, then has a good play. very inconsistent for this may years in the league
Agreed. He just seems to have some kind of strange mental laziness in his play, top it off to where he often seems to be chasing rather than keeping up with or staying in front of the receiver. I guess at the end of the day he’s decent for a 3rd round pick but you can clearly see why he was a 3rd rounder.
Let’s give Shaq G a break here.. for starters, he’s probably correct to some degree (exhibit a: no alternate offensive game plan) I don’t believe that Shaq is an elite corner, but he is a very good NFL cornerback, which is hard to come by in my opinion. I also don’t believe that Shaq was saying the players took the team lightly… athletes play as hard as they can, they don’t know any other way, it is apart of their wiring. Play to win, do whatever it takes. Coaches and gameplans do not fall under the same umbrella, they can be underprepared and can fall in love with a particular script, whether it is working or not. The coaching staff as a whole took the Giants lightly, the same as the fanbase probably did. I know i sat watching the entire game fully believing that Seattle would do just enough to win, especially when they had the ball and a chance to do just that. Schotty, is actually Schitty, how long are we going to have to watch an all go (routes) result in Russ getting smashed in the pocket? He now has a little to happy of feet in the pocket, and often times is trying to escape ‘ghost’ pressure and ends up stepping into pressure instead. There are probably 1000+ strategies that could be deployed to alter games or outcomes, the Seahawks chose one, and stuck with it even as it failed possession after possession. The Seahawks took their opponent lightly, at least their coaching staff did, and Shaq held everybody accountable instead of singling out individuals. I hope we re sign him, at a decent price, and I hope Seattle maybe brings an open mind to their gameplan this week and the weeks to follow. Everything doesn’t always go according to the script, we need and deaerve better from the coaches who draw up the plays and alignments. Go Hawks
Sure, the occasional tough run by Chris Carson or a D.K. Metcalf stiff-arm might make you think this is still a tough team. But they aren’t. They are finesse.
You have no evidence to support such an outrageous claim. Why just look at…
4th & 1 vs NYG – cutesy roll out play to Carson
4th & 2 vs PHI – cutesy sweep play to Moore
4th & 2 vs PHI – RW sacked trying to pass
Never mind. I withdraw my statement.
Go about your business. Nothing to see here.
I wish I’d remembered this and put it in the article.
I haven’t forgot. And won’t.
I am so sick and tired of hearing our coaches saying this:
/quote
Brian Schottenheimer also confessed he wishes the Seahawks had adjusted more quickly against the Giants and taken more of what they were given underneath.
/quote
Damn it, do your f’ing job, that’s what you’re paid to do.
I haven’t forgotten and won’t either Tom.
Do you expect to lose one or both coordinators this offeseaon? I know KN was on the hot seat for much of the season (rightfully so) but he’s gotten his side on the upward trajectory while BS is going on the opposite direction. And if BS were to go, who could come in? What kind of offense philosophy are we talking about?
There’s been talk that Carroll has taken over much or at least some of the defensive responsibilities. I anticipate Norton being gone in the off-season, but who knows.
100% yes.
Ken Norton will not be the DC next season in my opinion. I feel very confident about that.
Schotty will probably be back but it depends how the season finishes.
At this point, bring Bevell back when he’s done being the head coach in Detroit. I’m being serious, too. All the defenders who wanted to kill him and didn’t respect him anymore for not giving the ball to Marshawn are gone now.
I think Seattle would be better of hiring someone outside of Pete’s coaching tree for both coordinator spots. I don’t think going back to bevell is the answer.
Completely agree
I would rather not see a return to bubble screens
i think that’s right. Unless the offense does a nose dive these last 4 games.
The lack of adjusting you cite…maybe indicative of a touch of hubris?
Russ is constantly talking about how “I know who I am”. Maybe that’s code for “I can make any throw out here.” Regardless of what the opposition is doing. And when it doesn’t work, well, that’s just uncharacteristic. It’s definitely not learning anything from the experience.
The great Hawks teams of the past won with a simple defensive structure. We’re not going to try and mess with your heads disguising coverage – we’re just bigger, stronger, meaner. Our best can beat your best. And as long as the talent level sufficed, it works.
Being confident in one’s ability is great and you want guys who feel that way. But taken too far, it becomes misplaced arrogance. Maybe it’s a 2013 mentality that stuck around, beyond its best-before date.
Looks like the press gets Jamal Adams today too.
They’ll play badminton with him, no tough questions except how does he feel playing against his old team mates and if he is disappointed that Gregg Williams isn’t there for him to taunt.
Were you surprised by how easily the Rams handled the Pats? Does it seem like the Ram’s troubles with Miami and Giants were more about that those defense are great and less about their head coaches relation to Belichick?
In general, it looks like the Hawks are going to keep looking up to the Rams for a long time. Wilson will definitely keep them in games but the way that coaching staff adjusts and innovates is no competition for our stubborn and uninspiring front office. This seems like an uphill battle each year.
I think if Miami or New York’s quarterback threw a crap screen that resulted in an 80-yard pick six to turn a possible 10-7 game into a 17-0 game, then there’s a fair chance LA would’ve beaten the Dolphins or the Giants too.
Friday Press Conf w PC
[john boyle] Shell & Adams play against former team? “Even keeled level headed, looking forward to it.”
“Wishing best to Sounders in championship”
[corbin] Shell not on injury report? “Practiced all week, ready to go.”
[corbin] Exceeded expectations? “Solid as a rock, missed a couple games. But has been a great acquisition for him. Glad he can play this week.”
[joe fann] Dunbar & Penny updates? “Dunbar not ready. Practice 3 days but not ready. Penny looked great, exceeded expectations, movement and quickness. Really good shape. I don’t know what that means for next week. Very very positive return.”
[joe fann] Dissly still feeling effects of injury? “No. Steady as a rock with us. Doing fine.”
[Curtis crab] Dunlap injury? Carson and Hyde? “Both RBs ready. Dunlap right up to gametime. Protect him as much as possible. Determine on game day.”
[Michael shawn] Mentally focused gauging? “Day to day. Have a routine to practice, make highlights for next day’s mtgs. Can tell with how many highlights there are. Friday a big day too. How crisp we are, attentive to details. Shows us whether we are on it. We’re pretty steady.”
[Michael] Check in w leaders ono that? “Regularly. Really open to talk to Bobby and Russ and Duane and KJ. Always gauging who do I need to help. I’m not saying we do it great – always trying to figure how to do it better. Can’t tell you how we’re going to play though, I don’t have that nailed. But can tell from week how we worked.”
[bob condotta] Jamal injury affects assessment? “On pace to be the sackin-est DB ever [cha ed-that’s not a typo – he said ‘sackin-est’]. Played w one arm – legitimately – played w one arm. NOt 100% yet. Gonna get better, play faster. A lot of responsibility we call on him. Just today he made an adj in practice and looked at me and said ‘I’m getting it! I’m getting it!’ He’s getting better.”
[art] COVID changing playoffs? Bubble? “NFL having big meetings trying to figure it out.”
[Gregg] Different feel to Dec grind because no real preseason? “Good Q. Still dealing w a lot of up and down on roster. Hoped we’d be more adapted to workload after 4-6 weeks with limited prep. Hoping season get better. Halfway point well ahead injury-wise. Compare 3rd Q with first 2. Can’t tell you it feels fresher no. Different in stadiums, atmosphere on game day.”
[Gregg] Self momentum in games? “Easier when you’re playing well. Challenge and continues to be emphasis.”
[maz veda] Defense catching up to offense, this year or normal thing? “Generally happens, get better as we see more. Newness out of camp w no preseason affects first 4 or 5 weeks anyway. Learn and adapt in preseason. Defense went in blind in that regard. Scores down now from earlier in year.”
Do we buy that some of Adams struggles outside his pass-rushing and in the box play – has to do with getting more familiarity w Seattle’s scheme and adjustments within it?
As strong safeties go, he seems on the upper side of fast/explosive/athletic to me – don’t really see why he’d be incapable there.
Well, Germain Ifedi has the perfect physical profile for a NFL offensive tackle.
I think it is called “cashing a check”
Was Schotty quote kind of a shot at Russ. Would it not be his responsibility to read coverage pre-snap and adjust the play call to something underneath options or run the ball?
No, I don’t think it was a shot at Russell Wilson.
Hope has been beaten out of me with comments like the 2 Rob has mentioned and utterly subpar play and coaching. Sadness has taken its place.
I agree “always compete” Is dead. When John and Pete first came in they were quick to make changes in the lineup when players weren’t playing up to their standard and they would always give the next player a chance.
I know you wrote about it earlier in the week, but the Seahawks desperately need someone like Richard Sherman back in the secondary. What shaquill said is unacceptable and not an attitude I would want playing corner which is a position where you need to have some swagger.
The softness began with the Jimmy Graham trade, and this needs to be looked at. John Schneider simply cannot resist the big move, and it’s mostly costing the Seahawks valuable draft capital.
Max Unger was our OL anchor, and after losing him is when the excruciating viewing experience of the Seahawks offense Bagan. Marshawn Lynch was the only reason the run game continued, YAC monster, although Russel was at the top of his read-option game as well. Unger was such an important piece, and we gave up draft capital to make our OL worse and inherit an overrated pass catcher propped up by the ruthless efficiency of Drew Brees. We could have kept Unger, invest in high upside trench player with the late first round pick we gifted the saints. Easy team improvement.
Our next folly I need help piecing together, but think of it like this: we traded away Frank Clark for picks, our defense suffered, so we traded MORE picks for Jamal Adams, and we still need DLine upgrades…WHY DID WE DO ALL OF THIS!?!?
I don’t think the ‘softness’ started with Jimmy Graham. Trying to turn Graham into a complete TE was a ridiculous approach but the Seahawks wouldn’t have been ‘soft’ for simply letting him be the dynamic move-TE and mismatch weapon in the redzone that he was in New Orleans.
I also don’t blame them for making that deal immediately after what happened in the Super Bowl.
Also there’s a lot of revisionist history about Unger. He was a great player but he was expensive and had regular injuries. Again, I don’t blame Seattle for dealing him. Good for him that he prolonged his career in NO but that wasn’t necessarily to be expected.
The problem is the players they’ve drafted, the players they’ve been unable to replace and the choices they’ve made in rebuilding this team. If you want to take it to opponents you need to win in the trenches and run the ball. Too often over the years the Seahawks simply haven’t been able to do either.
I do think fortunately, though of course they alone are not enough, that there are a handful of relatively recent acquisitions that are of the right make up when it comes to improving team toughness:
-DK (plays like the big bully that he is)
-Lewis (looks to bury opponents)
-Adams (motor, attitude, physicality and disruption)
-Brooks (looks to really thump in the box, and that motor looks to be on high consistently)
-Dissly (his physicality as a blocker and after the catch).
Of course, it isn’t enough, but any of those guys would have fit right in with this team in it’s Super Bowl days.
Identify the distinguishable traits in those guys and look for more of those types.
I agree with yo in and think they have a decent amount of high end talent and playmakers. Building a team around brooks, Adams, Poona on defense and russ, dk, Lewis on offense I think is a good start. They need to find difference makers on the defensive line and corner where it sees like they have missed in the last few drafts. The problem is they don’t have a lot of resources to get more players in there.
The only hope I have is the guys that haven’t showed up or played much early in their careers like marquise Blair, lj collier, Darrell Taylor, rasheem green, Alton Robinson become consistent players
You need dogs on your team.
Kam, Marshawn, Sherm, Breno, Browner.
Guys who want to win and hit you in the face.
Not first round picks who are good athletes.
Yeah they Especially Miss kam. The defense has been bad ever since he left. Even the LOB defense took a huge step back when he held out that one year
Besides maybe signing sherm back, what would you do going forward if you were the Seahawks to find more guys like the people you mentioned?
Obviously you don’t love what they gave up for Jamal adams and there gonna have to pay him a lot, but at least he has an attitude to him.
Well, he certainly has an “attitude” toward reporters who rub him the wrong way.
Not sure if he is a “dog”, in the same vein as Kam or Sherm were.
Sherm was frequently a jerk to the media too. I think Jamal is a “dog” but they certainly need more guys than him and I just don’t see how they are going to get it with there lack of cap and picks
Jamal Adams was a top recruit, played at a top college team, was a top-10 pick and was traded for using two first round picks.
He isn’t a dog.
Let me spend three years going round college campuses, speaking to coaches, doing interviews at the Senior Bowl and combine and doing individual visits and I’ll give you a great answer to that question.
You’d almost certainly do a better job than the Seahawks Do. Obviously they aren’t good at collecting information about the players they draft, like Malik McDowell and Darrell Taylor.
I don’t think just because your a high pick/recruit means you don’t have the So called “dog” that the other guys have. Guys like earl Thomas were high draft picks, but they certainly played with a lot of swagger.
No. No blogger would do a better job than an NFL front office.
That isn’t a knock on Rob, it is just that that is an absurd statement.
I don’t think Mike was being serious.
And I wouldn’t do a better job.
But that doesn’t mean certain executives are good simply because they’re employed in the NFL either.
Lol. It was said in a joking manner I don’t think anyone here seriously believes they could run the Seahawks, all I’m saying is the Seahawks haven’t done well in the early rounds and a lot of the reason for this seems to be taking some guys with red flags.
Part of it might be that they got good return taking guys with red flags like Bruce Irvin and Frank Clark, but eventually it caught up to them and it didn’t work out.
That Malik McDowell pick was so so costly. Not even just the pick, the front office panicked after he got injured
I miss Breno, and +12 for not “just superb athletic types”
Did he actually say “they werent prepared” or “took them to lightly” as those are two very different things?
If you take a team lightly going in, you aren’t prepared.
Respectfully, I do hold of Jimmy Graham trade over the hocks. I don’t think we lost that Super Bowl because we didn’t have a goal line receiving threat. To me it is quite apparent and well documented that we lost because we used a predictable play that the patriots had seen on numerous occasions and were well prepared for for (Kind of like the Chris Carson roll out throw…)
Bringing a finesse player like Graham (Who was an arsehole who no one liked or respected) and then trying to change his whole style was very problematic. Letting go of Max Unger indicated they were trading toughness for finesse…
I doubt that’s what they were actually trying to do, but that’s what happened.
But I digress, because the Hawks truly started losing their identity in ‘13 when they brought in primadonna harvin- choosing another spoiled selfish pampered player with talent (probably worth mentioning the dude should have got a dui his 1st summer in Seattle but was lucky that the deputy was a fan… went lenient) over core veterans like Tate and probably others too. Like the graham trade, they rob the team of resources , picks, salary but also brought in the opposite type of player that the team had been growing around. These are the two most prominent examples but not the only ones. I’m looking at you Mr. McDowell…
I merely said I don’t blame the Seahawks for trading for Graham who at the time was one of the best players in the league.
They botched it up by trying to turn him into a complete TE but the thought process with the deal made sense.
A lot of people have forgotten that it was reported the Seahawks were going to release Unger anyway due to his injuries. They basically got a fourth for him instead of releasing him. So there’s a bit of revisionist history with him here.
One thing and one thing only spoilt the Seahawks great run and that was the fall out from the Super Bowl loss.
At the time, I was also very excited about Graham, because it did look great on paper and a weapon Russ has never had before. That was a maddening time to observe the results of our coaching.
As for the defensive side of toughness, watching Shaquill Griffin line up in press and proceed to not lay a finger on the receiver on their way to an easy first down, it’s sad. And the tackling is equally soft. Someone should have helped Flowers become a press coverage monster by now with his length, and considering we never see DB wins at the line of scrimmage, I’m looking at coaching.
Feels like they should just stick to in season trading ( Brown, Diggs, Dunlap). Seems to work better than pre season trades ( Harvin, Graham, Adams). Adams could still be undecided.
He was charmin soft. They already knew that and still traded for him.
The plan once he was on the team was not good. How to maximize his touches and limit his liabilities. Sadly, they had a very poor OL around that time and had to try to help them so much they used him out of phase…. out of his strengths. Sadly, he also had too many balls bounce off his hands when he was given shots to make big plays in the offense.
Pinch me if this doesn’t sound a bit familiar to a recent big trade acquisition ….. lack of plan to maximize a players usage in the current system the team is employing. MAXIMIZE TALENT on the TEAM!
I understand your point. I don’t think I’ve been very clear with mine. In my opinion, the peak of the LOB was 2012. Very few high priced free agents. The guys that we traded for were cast-offs with something to prove.The rookies and free agents were guys with special traits and pissed off for greatness. No one was treated special and they had to earn everything. (Even the quarterback had a beat out to veterans and prove someone with a non-traditional body type could be successful in a league.) You could also call it the “I’m in” era. When we brought in guys like Graham and Harvin it was a mistake. They were entitled and they did not have the attitudes nor the desire of the rest of the team did. Yet, management made the decision not only to bring them in but sacrificed core members of the team as well as precious resources that could’ve brought in additional like-minded guys. And of course they they were getting paid more than almost everyone. The organization to the rest of the team these guys were more special even if they didn’t come out and say it.
Yes, we won the Super Bowl despite Harvin and his lack of production. And yes Jimmy had his moments. But Jimmy was the type of guy that that team laughed at it. That Seattle ridiculed. The anti-Seahawk.
In addition to all the resources that we gave away to bring those guys in, the most damage to this trade state was to the culture they created in Seattle. They haven’t been the bully since 2014.
They didn’t give much up for either really.
I just think you’re overstating their impact. They literally made a SB with and without Harvin. Graham quickly became a liked member of the team. They had no major impact in the fall of the roster.
In regards to Shaq’s quote, that starts with the leadership on defense, more specifically Bobby and KJ. I think Bobby and KJ are still using “credit” from being on a historic defense and being super bowl winners and that might be affecting other players like Griffin, Adams, etc. I hope they realize sooner rather than later that their “credit” is no longer good.
Looks like i picked the wrong week to quit:
Smoking
Drinking
Amphetamines
Sniffin Glue <—- I am here
Sniffin jenkm
Shrooms
Licking toads
Autoerotic Asphyxiation
on the Lloyd Bridges scale, where are you right now?
Possibly my favorite movie ever.
“If the situation is right, then I mean, it could happen,” Lynch said. “I’ve been asked the question by a couple teams here recently. Like, ‘Are you ready?’ I’m ready if you all are Super Bowl-ready. That’s what it would take me to come out, to come and play again. It would have to be a guaranteed Super Bowl game for me.”
Here we go again
I’d get him in.
They’ve played Alex Collins and Bo Scarborough. If that’s the way it is, I’ll take Marshawn any day.
10 years into the Carroll era and three-years into the reset, isn’t this just the most disappointing quote you’ve seen in a long time?
No. I think it’s the truth and I’m glad he said it. Carroll and Wilson obviously don’t have the balls to.
As upset as I am about last week, it’s one game. If we don’t turn it around and win out, I will be roasting this team with you, but I still am holding on to a sliver of hope!
One game?
Buffalo, LA, New York.
And in the fourth quarter in Arizona, they threw the game away because they couldn’t adapt.
They truly haven’t been the same since that 2nd half vs. AZ
Rob – I read all of your posts. Your analysis is great and I love how the site has progressed through the years. But you have been so negative all year. Last year we won a playoff game. Its like you expect us to win the Super Bowl every year. Besides the Patriots for a span with Brady that’s what NFL is like. its built for parity. We are 8 and 4, and have realistic shot to win the west and take the 2 seed. Think about being a fan of the other 90 percent of teams. Carroll and Schneider are winners. We have been to two SB, won one, and countless playoff games. What other teams past decade can claim similar success???
I haven’t been “negative”. I’ve written about the things I think need to be discussed. If you’re a regular reader like you say, you will know I don’t seek out negatives on purpose. However, I feel this has been an especially poor year for the Seahawks on and off the field. I can’t hide from that and I’m not going to avoid talking about in order to avoid seeming only critical. There are big topics we can’t avoid if we want this team to be back in contention —- which is the goal. Not to be satisfied with former glories or not being as bad as other franchises.
I will never sugar coat the coverage here. You simply get my thoughts positive or negative.
They are 3-4 in the last seven games, they have had three of the worst losses in the Carroll era in that span, they squandered resources during the off-season and they’ve put themselves in a bind for the upcoming off-season. They’ve spent three years resetting and aren’t any better than they were in 2018 —- in fact they might be worse. The franchise has so many issues that need to be talked about, not papered over because expectations used to be really low pre-Carroll.
If you don’t want to discuss these things, then that’s perfectly fine. But you shouldn’t tell me that I shouldn’t be discussing it. That’s gate keeping and that’s not what we do in this community.
Indeed, we have missed him.
I insist you immediately stop what you are doing and read this outstanding article by John Morgan:
https://www.fieldgulls.com/2020/12/9/22164633/post-mortem-let-russ-cook
Superb, John.
Social media shouldn’t influence or impact anything. But it does.
Does anyone have a contact email address for John? I’d like to ask him a question.
“Social media is the horror of junior high revisited”. Yep. There’s a reason I won’t be on any of the platforms, EVER.
I think John has done a really good job assessing how toxic Twitter is — and Seahawks twitter in particular.
Outstanding article.
“MVPs only matter to quarterbacks who don’t win championships.” So then Russ, why is winning an MVP one of your stated goals?
I think some people here are guilty of taking Griffin’s words far too literally. This is his take in hindsight on what happened, but even at halftime the defence had done their job perfectly well. They fluffed the quarter, or arguably one drive in the third quarter, but then did OK in the final period. I don’t think that there is any way that it can be interpreted as the defence collectively intending to have an easy day
I didn’t say anything about the defense collectively intending to have an easy day.
Shaquill Griffin said the team, as a whole, took the Giants lightly.
That’s what I discussed, purely and simply, within the context of a supposed philosophy which preaches always competing.
The end of this article from Fieldgulls has a solid take on why RW is struggling with the middle of the field routes and and at least part of the solution. https://www.fieldgulls.com/2020/12/12/22164971/russell-wilsons-two-turnovers-are-easy-to-explain-nfl-film-review-seattle-seahawks
. . . also, was not pleased to see griffin celebrating after what should have been a PI, a play in which he failed to even turn his head, as he often does . . .